City, County official react to Amazon not choosing Southwestern PA

PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials intend to release incentives offered to Amazon to locate its HQ2 center here at a Thursday news conference. However, both Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald indicate some of the proposal might be redacted to protect private developer parts of the offer.

“Certain things we will be able to release. I’ll be releasing everything that was in my control. But we weren’t in this alone,” says Fitzgerald.

A statement from PGHQ2, the partnership among the city, county, and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development that developed the bid says two local investment packages were offered.

“Neither using any existing city or county tax money/revenues,” according to the statement. “Rather the proposal included a strategy to make sure if Pittsburgh invested in Amazon, Amazon would have invested in us, to the benefit of all residents.”

Fitzgerald says there were benefits from going through the process. He says the region gained free publicity nationwide, it got people working together, and it confirmed Pittsburgh’s status as a region on the rise.

As for the things the region must work on Fitzgerald listed infrastructure, workforce development, and transportation including the airport and more flights.